Normal Again
by noturbaby
Summary: What happens when Sam and Dean finally die? Where will they go? Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? The end of Supernatural and the Winchesters. Third and final installment in the "find God trilogy". This time, the Winchesters are the ones 'found'.


As they ran, they heard someone yell, "Freeze

But, the Winchesters didn't stop. They couldn't. There was a job to do. No one else was going to die at the fangs of these vampires.

"I said..."

Neither Sam nor Dean heard. They each raised their machetes and swung. Dean's swing decapitated the vampire he had been chasing and now had cornered. But Sam's... they'll never know if Sam swung true, for at that moment Officers Gutierez and Williams opened fire.

The Winchesters fell, landing next to each other. Sam facing Dean, Dean facing Sam, each hoping to see that his brother was not severely injured. Dean managed a harsh whisper, "Sam? – Sammy?"

Sam blinked at his brother before making a quiet gurgling sound. Then he whispered, "Dean?"

"It's okay, Sammy, I got you," Dean uttered softly before he watched the light in Sam's eyes fade completely. He soon followed with a whispered, "Night, Sammy."

* * *

Dean was behind the wheel of his beloved Impala. _Ramble On_ was playing, the sun was shining, it was going to be a good day. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since the night before. "Sam, is there a diner or something at the next exit? I'm starved."

"Yeah, I could eat," Sam agreed. "I saw a sign for Conner's Diner like half a mile back."

"Good. Conner's it is then." Dean changed lanes and headed for the exit when the Impala made a shuddering noise.

The brothers exchanged worried looks. "Baby?" Dean whined, "Not now, sweetheart, we're almost off the freeway." The car sputtered and lurched and didn't care that Dean was begging; she stopped anyway.

Dean sighed, slumped back in his seat and smacked the steering wheel. Sam gave him his best empathetic look and they hauled themselves out of the car. Dean tossed Sam the keys as he went to open the hood and Sam retrieved the tool box from the trunk. "What do you think it might be?"

"I don't know. She was running great. Just did a complete tune up a couple weeks ago," Dean replied as he surveyed the engine. As Dean checked the belts and fluid levels, Sam was distracted by the sound of an approaching vehicle. Moving back from the raised hood, Sam saw a wrecker slowing down and pulling up behind them.

Sam nudged Dean's arm. "Hey, I think we just got lucky." Not seeing any hot girls with mechanic tools, Dean gave his brother a confused look. "Tow truck," Sam replied with a point toward said truck.

Dean backed away from the car and watched the driver climb down from the cab and make his way over. "You boys need a little help?"

Once again the brothers exchanged looks. Sam knew Dean hated anyone else touching the Impala, but if it wasn't a simple fix, a tow would be necessary. Dean realized if he wanted to eat in the next hour, he was going to have to accept some help.

"What seems to be the problem?" the man asked once he was closer.

"Don't know. She just up and quit." Dean looked at the engine again finding nothing that would cause his baby to stop the way she did.

The mechanic took a quick look under the hood and whistled in appreciation. "You sure take good care of her. Sure doesn't look her age."

Those words gave Dean a small measure of pride, but he reined it in. "Well, I try, but it must not have been good enough. She's not runnin'."

The mechanic nodded. "Tell you what, I'll tow you up to my garage, it's across from Conner's Diner – you know it?"

"We were headed there," Sam replied, figuring the diner must be well known.

"Good! You two get some lunch and I'll hook her up to our computer and see if I can find out what's wrong with the ol' girl."

Dean allowed the man leave them at the diner and watched as the truck towed his baby to the garage.

* * *

After a meal of the most delicious cheeseburgers Dean could remember having in a while, the Winchesters walked to the garage to get the diagnosis. Dean felt himself smile when he saw his baby parked outside, gleaming in the afternoon sun.

A bell announced their arrival and the mechanic soon joined them in the office of the small garage. He smiled at them. "Why don't you boys take a seat?"

The brothers shifted their stance. "No, that's okay. We'll just be on our way if the car is ready."

The man looked out at the car and then turned back to them. "Oh, she'll be ready for you, Dean."

The way the man said his name, caused Dean's hair to stand on end. Sam's sudden shift meant his alarm bells were also sounding.

Noticing their reactions, the mechanic shook his head slightly and repeated, "You boys should take a seat." This time it sounded less like a question and more like a very strong suggestion and the Winchesters sat on the dingy looking chairs.

The man looked from one to the other. "Remember what happened." Another order.

But, both Sam and Dean suddenly remembered the vampires in the alley and the police officer shouting 'stop' and the bullets finding a home in their backs.

As the realization hit, shock gave into resignation. They were dead and they were probably stuck in memorex heaven again.

The man before them snorted, "No, not this time." Seeing Dean's 'how the hell did you know what I was thinking?' look made the man smile again. "Not giving you 'memorex' heaven this time." He held up a hand to stop Sam's question. "No, not hell, not purgatory, not any of that."

"W-well, what then? And w-who are you?" Dean asked though he had a pretty good idea about the answer to the second question.

"You know who I am," the Man said. Watching them gape and stumble over their words made Him sigh. "Oh, all right. This will be easier for you." Suddenly, before their eyes, the Mechanic's clothes transformed into a robe of white. His hair grew longer, a beard formed and his work boots changed to sandals. "This is more familiar, isn't it?"

They nodded as he now resembled a painting of Jesus they had seen in Pastor Jim's house.

The awe Dean felt didn't last long. His anger was rising up in him. "Where were you? Where have you been? You nearly let the world destroy itself! You let Sam go to hell. You let Cas open up purgatory and let those damned leviathans practically take over. You did nothing to stop any of it!"

Sam's eyes widened in fear for his brother. Dean probably shouldn't be yelling at the Mechanic who currently looked like Jesus.

The Man looked at Sam. "Sam, it's okay. That's why we're in here and not at your final location." Sam nodded his understanding and the man returned his attention to Dean. "Dean, I was with you the whole time."

Dean scoffed and was about to argue when the Man continued, "I used the two of you to save the world. You each made the ultimate sacrifice and I gave you exactly what you wanted. Even when you wanted more, I gave you that, as well."

Dean did not see things the same way. "You weren't with us. And you never gave us what we wanted!"

Sighing like a parent tired of dealing with a petulant child, He said, "Yes. You wanted to save the world, but you didn't want heaven as your reward, you wanted status quo. Sam felt he deserved to be punished for using the demon blood and for raising Lucifer. So, you got life on earth and he got time in hell."

"Sammy did not deserve hell! He -"

The Man raised his hand and Dean instantly quieted. "We will discuss free will and choices another time." His voice was colored with anger, but he quickly let it go. "I agree with you, Dean, Sam did not deserve hell and that is why I asked Death to return Sam's soul and give him that wall."

"Oh, _Y__ou_ asked Death? I thought I was the one who had to be the reaper for a day to -"

"That was between you and him. He didn't like that binding spell you forced on him."

"What about Cas and the leviathans?" Sam asked quietly.

The Man smiled fondly as he thought of the angel. "Ah, Castiel," he said with a small shake of his head. "Angels weren't made for free will. It was a bit overwhelming for him." He closed his eyes. "Right now, he is grieving your deaths by watching sea turtles hatch and make their way to the sea."

"Is he going to be okay?" Dean's voice was rough with concern.

"Yes, but he will never get over your deaths. He will carry that pain with him always."

"Can't You stop it and take that pain away?" Sam asked.

"I can, but I won't." He looked them each in the eye. "Castiel has a much better understanding of humans because of it."

Even though they wanted to argue, the Winchesters didn't know what to say.

A loud horn drew everyone's attention to the office window. "Finally," turning to the brothers He continued, "I'm giving you the _heaven_ I think you deserve."

Dean swallowed as the bitter memories of Sam's heaven and his heaven returned. With a nod, he turned to his brother. "Well, Sam, I guess I'll see ya. Maybe Ash can have us both at the roadhouse sometime."

Feeling the loss of his brother and knowing exactly which memories were hurting him, Sam bit back his own grief as he stood and hugged his brother. "Yeah, I'll see you soon, Dean."

The Man shook his head and pressed his lips together to stop a smile. "Boys, there's no need for this sadness. I'm giving you your lives back."

"Oh." They turned and readied themselves to wake in the alley or the morgue, only to hear a small chuckle.

He smiled warmly at them. "Boys, I'm - giving - you – your – lives – back. Your lives. From the moment they veered onto this course."

Neither Sam nor Dean understood what He meant, so He went on. "When you wake up, it will be November 3rd, 1983. Dean, your mom will gently rub your back until you wake and the two of you will get Sam from his crib."

"Wait, so our mom doesn't die? She doesn't make the deal?" Dean asked.

"So the yellow-eyed-demon?" Sam asked.

"Doesn't exist. Azazel will stay in hell where he belongs."

"What about our dad? What happens to him?"

"He will be leaving for work just as you sit down for breakfast."

"Okay," Dean nodded, but he remembered the djinn's spell. "What about all the people that we saved? What happens to them?"

"They will still be saved. You don't need to worry about them." He smiled fondly as he waited for them to accept their new lives.

Sam looked confused. "I'm going to be an infant?"

The Man looked from one brother to the other. "I'm giving you a 'do over'. How did you put it, Dean? A life of 'little league and chasing tail'? You will live your lives without the influence of demons and monsters and vengeful spirits. Your parents will live long happy lives and you will both grow up knowing the love of two parents."

"But what about -"

Knowing Dean's next concern, he continued, "Soon, Bobby Singer will call your dad with job offer and your family will move to South Dakota. Watching the two of you will convince him to start a family of his own."

Sam and Dean looked at each other and Sam shrugged. "A 'do over' without all the angel and demon crap? No apocalypse to prevent?"

A smile spread over the Man's face. "No apocalypse to prevent." He led them to the door. "Although angels will still be watching over you, they won't interfere in the same way."

Outside, the Winchesters found a familiar face. "Hello, boys!"

Stunned, they both gasped, "Gabriel?"

"Everything is finally ready?" the Man asked.

"Yeah. I may not be as fast as You when it comes to _creating_ things, but 1983 is all set and waiting for them," Gabriel said with a nod to Sam and Dean.

"Thank you," the Man replied before turning back to the brothers. "Sam, Dean, not that you'll remember any of this, but I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you." He held out his hand to shake each of theirs. "Now, go with Gabriel. He'll make sure you get where you belong."

Obediently, the Winchesters followed Gabriel out the door, hearing the bell chime as the door shut behind them.

* * *

"Dean? Dean, sweetie, time to wake up," Mary cooed as she rubbed her son's back. "Come on, sleepy head, help me get Sammy."

"Okay Mommy," Dean yawned then greeted his mother with a hug and a smile.

Upon entering Sam's room, they found the six month old had used the crib bar and pulled himself up to stand. Little Sam's face broke into a wide smile when he saw Mary and Dean enter his room.

"Mommy!" Dean yelled excitedly, "Sammy's standing!" He ran to the crib. "Hey, Sammy, look at you, you're standing!"

In reply, Sam gurgled and bounced in the crib. Mary swooped him into her arms. "Come on, boys, let's go tell Daddy that Sammy can stand."

* * *

In the garage, the Mechanic, who had then become a fisherman from Galilee, smiled and shifted into a much more comfortable form, Fergus Roderick McLeod*. He adjusted his tie, and brushed some invisible lint from his suit. "Oh, yes, thank you, boys. This is going to be fun."

* * *

*I'm sure you know who that is, but if you don't, please go to the Supernaturalwiki {dot} com and type 'Fergus' into the search.


End file.
